Packing case for a motor vehicle



Dec. 12, 1961 J. s. HINE PACKING CASE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE Filed May 4, 1959 FIG.4.

3,012,688 PACKING CASE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE James 'S. Hine, Coventry, England, assignor of one-half to Rutherford and Stanton Limited, and one=half to The Standard Motor Company Limited, both of Coventry, England, and both British companies Filed May 4, 1959, Ser. No. 810,848 Claims priority, application Great Britain Mar. 31, 1959 2 Claims. (til. 217-36) The invention relates to packing cases for motor vehicles, particularly for motor cars.

It is known to transport and to store new motor cars in large wooden packing cases; but this method has the disadvantages that a packing case has to be at least partly dismantled before the motor car therein can be removed and that the empty packing case occupies considerable space, unless completely dismantled. Dismantling or" the packing cases often results in damage to the packing cases. Another disadvantage is that, with known packing cases, partial dismantling and subsequent re-erection of the motor car is necessary. An object of the invention is to provide a packing case which has a longer life than known packing cases and with which partial dismantling of a motor car to be contained therein is unnecessary.

According to the invention, there is provided a packing case in the shape of a frustum of a pyramid having a rectangular base, the packing case having a closed top, side and end walls and being open at the bottom, the dimensions being such that the case can be placed over and envelop a motor vehicle, the case also comprising detachable cross members, which in use are positioned to engage in front of and behind the road wheels of the vehicle, to support the vehicle in the case and to restrain the vehicle from endwise movement therein, and interengageable means on the ends of the detachable cross members and on the side walls, at spaced positions adjacent the lower edges thereof for sopositioning the cross members, the case, when empty and without the cross members in position, being capable of being stacked with other similar cases, the cases being nested one within the other, each case also including abutment means, whereby the walls of a case are held from at least tight engagement with the corresponding walls of a case in which it is nested.

Preferably, the case has an internal peripheral ledge adjacent the top, the ledge constituting the abutment means.

A packing case according to the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the packing case;

FIGURE 2 is a part-sectional perspective view of a detail of FIGURE 1 in the direction of arrow II;

FIGURE 3 is a part-sectional perspective view of a detail of FIGURE 1 in the direction of arrow III;

FIGURE 4 is a part-sectional view on the line IVIV in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic transverse section of two empty packing cases, as shown in FIGURE 1, nested one in the other; and

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section showing a motor car positioned in the packing case.

The case is in the shape of a frustum of a pyramid having a rectangular base, as will be seen in FIGURE 1. It has a closed top 1 but no bottom. The four sides 2 and the top 1 are of strong plywood sheet and are reinforced at the corners and edges by metal strips or plates 3. Instead of plywood, another type of strong rigid sheet may be employed. The lower edges of the States atent O Side walls 2 each have four spaced, strengthened positions comprising plates 4 which are connected by bolts 12 or otherwise secured to attachment plates 5 on the ends of cross members 6. The cross members 6, in use, are arranged to engage in front of and behind the road wheels of a motor car, so as to support the motor car in the case, when the case is lifted, and to hold the motor car from longitudinal movement. The ends of the lower edges of the side Walls are relieved so that lifting slings may be passed underneath the case or for the introduction of the forks of a fork-lift truck. The end walls of the case may be drilled so that bolts may be passed therethrough to engage fixing brackets attached to the ends of the motor car, to restrain the motor car from lateral movement in the case. The top of the case is reinforced by an internal framework 7 including a peripheral ledge 8. The purpose of the peripheral ledge will be evident hereinafter. The plates 4 carry lifting eyes 9, for lifting the case, when empty.

When a motor car is to be packed in a case, the motor car 10 (FIGURE 6) is driven on to thin blocks (not shown) so that the wheels are raised slightly from the ground and the four cross members 6 are laid in position in front of and behind the wheels. Then an empty case 1 is lowered over the motor car to envelop it completely and the ends of the cross members are connected by bolts 12 to the plates 4 on the lower edges of the case. Locking bolts are passed through the end walls of the case at 11 (FIGURE 6) to engage the motor car. The case and motor car are then lifted, the motor car resting on the four. cross members. Because the motor car was initially held clear of the ground, the wheels will not project beyond the lower edges of the walls of the case. The case is sufiicienty strong for loaded cases to be piled one on top of the other, three, or possibly, four high. The cases are lifted by slings passed under the relieved ends of the side Walls or by a fork-lift truck.

To remove a motor car from its case, the case is lowered until the wheels of the motor car rest on thin blocks to take the weight off the cross members. The cross members are unbolted from the plates 4 and the locking bolts 11 are removed. The case is then lifted off the motor car and the cross members are withdrawn from beneath the motor car.

Empty cases may be stacked one inside the other, either upright or inverted, thereby saving storage space. The internal peripheral ledge 8 underneath the top of each case acts as an abutment means which holds the tops of two nested cases apart to prevent locking of the tapered side walls 2. (See FIGURE 5.)

Instead of providing plates 4 and 5 to locate the cross members, the lower edges of the sides of the case may be formed with notches to receive the ends of the cross members, the notches being at appropriate positions according to the diameters and longitudinal spacing of the wheels of the motor cars to be contained in the case.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A packing case in the shape of a frustum of a pyramid having a rectangular base, the packing case having a top, side and end walls and being open at the bottom, said top, side and end walls being substantially flat plates permanently connected together and their dimensions being such that the case can be placed over and envelop a motor vehicle, the case also comprising detachable cross members positioned adjacent the lower edges of the side walls thereof to support a vehicle in said case, and interengageable means positioned on the ends of the detachable cross members and on the side walls at positions adjacent the lower edges thereof, said interengageable means at each end of a cross member comprising a plate secured to said end of said cross member, a further plate secured to the lower edge of a side wall of the case at a position in which the cross member is to be located and detachable locking means passing through holes in said plate and said further plate, the case being capable of being stacked with other similar cases by nesting the cases one within the other, when said cases are empty and when the cross members are not in position, each case also including an internal peripheral ledge adjacent the top of the case, whereby the walls of a case are held from tight engagement with the corresponding 10 walls of the case in which it is nested.

2. A case as claimed in claim 1 in which lifting eyes are provided on said further plates for lifting the case,

when empty.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

